Craft Therapy: DIY No-Sew Curtains

Me and my little sis…yes, I’m wearing a crop top and skorts. It was the 90s!

So, I will be honest, I have always enjoyed making things, re-furbishing old things, and just all-around DIYing. When I was a child, I shared a room with my sister, which is not that much of an important detail, but true nonetheless. We would constantly re-arrange our room…which had bunk beds…and matching white formica furniture. We loved to make the old seem new again, and that’s what today’s post is all about.

A lot of my friends live in apartments, in fact, it is rare that any of us own a home. I guess, that’s the next frontier of adulthood. Right now, everyone is getting married. Next, Facebook will be a flood with pictures of the happy couple’s new abode. Keegan and I are also renting. Because of this, there is very little that we are able to do physically to our home, so everything has to be aesthetic. (Trust me, this is almost torture, as the majority of our house here in Louisiana is completely covered in dark-wood paneling. But, it has central air, so we acquiesced and signed the lease.)

The dining room, in particular, felt very dark and uninviting. It was my least favorite room in the house, and, because our home is shot-gun style which means that every room is directly connected (no hallway), I had to walk through it everyday. I knew I needed curtains, but I didn’t want to drag out the sewing machine after I had finally gotten everything in this house put away post cross-country move. So, I found this great no-sew tutorial for curtains on Young House Love’s blog, and decided to try my hand at the simple-sounding directions.

I found this great navy-blue and cream design at Joanne’s last week for $2 a yard. I looks really busy in the photo, but actually softens the dark wood look I have going on throughout the house. sigh. I’d like to give a shout-out to my sister who bought me that fancy sewing kit a few Christmas’s ago.

For measurements, I knew that I wanted the curtains to rest on the floor, and in terms of width, I just left it at the width of the bolt of fabric it came from. Remember: Measure twice, cut once!

Step 1: Measure out a hem. I did 1-inch for the sides and 3-inches for the top and bottom hems.

Step 2: Fold your fabric at the mark, and iron a nice straight seam. This will make it easier to insert the stitch witchery later on.

Step 3: Insert the stitch witchery inside the seam and press down with the iron for 10 seconds in one spot. Slowly move around the entire panel until the stitch witchery holds the seams together (Important: do not slide the iron, pick it up and move it every ten seconds down the line of the seam).

l’d also recommend placing a thin, damp cloth between the iron and the curtain panel, to ensure the fabric does not burn. I used a hand towel.

The best part of DIY curtains: cost! These were so much cheaper than the curtain panels I was seeing in stores like Anthropologie and even Macy’s. Also, the choice of pattern at a fabric store will always far exceed the choices you are offered when it comes to ready-made curtains.